Where to airlayer my maple tree?

[BonsaiLoudon]

Hi all, I've never airlayered before, but I think it would be fun to create a bonsai more or less in the style of my maple in the front yard. Plus, I figured it would be a good first try at air-layering next spring.
What I'm not sure of is how ambitious I can be with trunk diameter but also branch loss.

You'll see on the third image I have added 3 potential cut/layer lines. The innermost one is going to produce the thickest trunk (yay), but will also require me to cut off a ton of foliage once the airlayer is removed. As the options go out, the amount I will need to prune is also reduced.

I'm curious if anyone has experience taking layers like this up in their trees? How ambitious do you think I can go here? Is there anything I could do this fall to pre-prune back the branches before the spring to help out the transition?

I'd appreciate any suggestions or resources, thanks!

 

[rockm]

Hi all, I've never airlayered before, but I think it would be fun to create a bonsai more or less in the style of my maple in the front yard. Plus, I figured it would be a good first try at air-layering next spring.
What I'm not sure of is how ambitious I can be with trunk diameter but also branch loss.

You'll see on the third image I have added 3 potential cut/layer lines. The innermost one is going to produce the thickest trunk (yay), but will also require me to cut off a ton of foliage once the airlayer is removed. As the options go out, the amount I will need to prune is also reduced.

I'm curious if anyone has experience taking layers like this up in their trees? How ambitious do you think I can go here? Is there anything I could do this fall to pre-prune back the branches before the spring to help out the transition?

I'd appreciate any suggestions or resources, thanks!


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Um I'd rethink things a bit.

If you're going to THAT much trouble to air layer something, it should be worth air layering. Structurally, the section you've delineated is pretty damn boring and not worth the broken bones it may require to get it. Air layering is about finding something REALLY good and worth the trouble. Long straight beanpole ish sections of mediocre trunk on a mediocre species aren't worth the trouble for the most part.

Practically, people think air layering is not a big thing. That's mostly wrong for first timers. It gets more wrong as the size, weight and location of the air layer increases. For instance, can't really tell how high up that is, but at some point, if you're successful in getting an air layer to root, you're going to have to cut it down and put it in a pot. If you're on a 7, 8, or ten foot ladder, the difficulty of that increases with each rung on the ladder. How you gonna make sure it remains moist during the hot, dry drought-ish weather we've been having this summer. Virginia is into 'exceptional' drought conditions in some counties. I think N.C. is as well. A dried out air layer is a dead air layer, as well as a dead limb you will have to cut down...

FWIW, you're going to have much easier and vastly better options for bonsai simply looking at the SHRUBS around your house, not the actual trees. Boxwood, azaleas, crape myrtles, etc. all make better bonsai almost immediately compared to this leggy, boring red maple.

 

[BonsaiLoudon]

Um I'd rethink things a bit.

If you're going to THAT much trouble to air layer something, it should be worth air layering. Structurally, the section you've delineated is pretty damn boring and not worth the broken bones it may require to get it. Air layering is about finding something REALLY good and worth the trouble. Long straight beanpole ish sections of mediocre trunk on a mediocre species aren't worth the trouble for the most part.

Practically, people think air layering is not a big thing. That's mostly wrong for first timers. It gets more wrong as the size, weight and location of the air layer increases. For instance, can't really tell how high up that is, but at some point, if you're successful in getting an air layer to root, you're going to have to cut it down and put it in a pot. If you're on a 7, 8, or ten foot ladder, the difficulty of that increases with each rung on the ladder. How you gonna make sure it remains moist during the hot, dry drought-ish weather we've been having this summer. Virginia is into 'exceptional' drought conditions in some counties. I think N.C. is as well. A dried out air layer is a dead air layer, as well as a dead limb you will have to cut down...

FWIW, you're going to have much easier and vastly better options for bonsai simply looking at the SHRUBS around your house, not the actual trees. Boxwood, azaleas, crape myrtles, etc. all make better bonsai almost immediately compared to this leggy, boring red maple.

The straightness and boringness of the piece don't bother me much since the goal is a formal upright in the style of the original tree. But you do bring up a good point of feasibility given height. I have a solid ladder to reach it, but I may be playing with fire here. I need to test the exact height to see what it would take. If it's too much I do have some seedlings from the tree I can use for the project, it'll just take an extra 10 years to get there haha.
And if I can get our newly planted azalea healthy I can try some air layers on that.

 

[19Mateo83]

Go check out Get Rooted Nursery not too far outside of Raleigh. They have plenty of bonsaiable material.
Also, @Piedmont Bonsai is very close to Raleigh. He may have some material available.

 

[rockm]

The straightness and boringness of the piece don't bother me much since the goal is a formal upright in the style of the original tree. But you do bring up a good point of feasibility given height. I have a solid ladder to reach it, but I may be playing with fire here. I need to test the exact height to see what it would take. If it's too much I do have some seedlings from the tree I can use for the project, it'll just take an extra 10 years to get there haha.
And if I can get our newly planted azalea healthy I can try some air layers on that.

The tree you're taking this from is a broom, for the most part, not a formal upright. And FWIW, formal upright deciduous trees aren't really ideal. Formal upright is a conifer style for the most part. Also, you can get similar Japanese maples that are long straight saplings for $35-$40 at Walmart or Home Depot if you look around, or even at nurseries this time of year. Look in the sale sections. Maples tend to get crispy at the end of summer. Doesn't mean they're dead, means they mostly unsellable because they appear dead. They're not. They perfectly fine, just unsightly.


This is a lot of unnecessary extra work for not much return. However, if the point is to try an air layer something to see if you can do it, fine. I'd select something a little lower on the tree though. Makes management a lot easier.

 

[BonsaiLoudon]

Go check out Get Rooted Nursery not too far outside of Raleigh. They have plenty of bonsaiable material.
Also, @Piedmont Bonsai is very close to Raleigh. He may have some material available.

Thank you for the Get Rooted recommendation, I've not heard of it before but I will certainly check it out. Looks very promising.

 

[19Mateo83]

Also, if you want to try air layering, I highly recommend watching Peter Chan’s air layer master class video on YouTube.